Telimektar

Telimektar, son of Tulkas, is one of the so called "Lost Valar", a character that appeared only in the early versions of the legendarium. Later on, he only survived as a constellation, but eventually lost his original name which, however, reappeared as a name of Telumehtar Umbardacil, 28th King of Gondor.

Contents

Telimektar is first mentioned in an early story, The Chaining of Melko. Telimektar was "but just war-high" when he fought at his father's side against Melko in the war which ended with the captivity of the Enemy. Telimektar had "a long sword girt about his waist by a silver girdle."[1]

Later on, in the tale The Theft of Melko, in the darkness after the darkening of the Trees Telimektar is pursuing Melko with other Gods (as they were then called) and "his face and weapons gleam as silver in the dark".[2]

In The Tale of the Sun and Moon Telimektar is already conversed into a constellation, casually mentioned in a representation of the Heavens by Manwë, who tells that the star Nielluin (Sirius, called Helluin in The Silmarillion) is "nigh the foot of Telimektar son of Tulkas whose tale is yet to tell."[3]

Alas, the tale was never properly told. Telimektar's last appearance in Tolkien's mythology is in The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales,[4] or more properly, in the sketches for this story collected (and edited) by Christopher Tolkien from his father's notebooks.

In the conclusion of the whole story that was to become Quenta Silmarillion, later totally rejected, Melko breaks away after the breaking of Angamandi (later: Angband) and goes to Tol Eressëa in order to create dissension among the Elves. The Gods do not interfere, but Tulkas decides to privily send Telimektar to aid the Elves.

Telimaktar, with his silver sword, and Ingil (son of Inwë, king of the Eldar in Kôr or Valinor) surprise and wound Melko and then pursue him until Melko climbs to the great Pine of Tavrobel. There he must stay and Telimektar and Ingil (or Gil, now the star Sirius) remain in the sky in guard against Melko's return.[5]

The last statement about Telimektar concerns with Telimektar's shape in the Heavens: the constellation should only be "the image of Telimektar in the sky?" and the stars are given to him by Varda so that the Gods would know that he still is watching Melko. Also "he has diamonds on his sword-sheath, and this will go red when he draws his sword at the Great End".[5]

Then the end of the story was entirely changed and the character of Telimektar was also dropped. But as an echo of Telimektar, in the two following versions of the Silmarillion, the army of the Valar marches to the War of Wrath,[6] commanded by Fionwë, son of Tulcas.[7][8] Later on, Fionwë was called son of Manwë, and finally he was transformed to Eönwë, Manwë's herald (as in The Silmarillion[9]). Of Telimektar remained only the mention of Telumehtar as a name of Orion in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings.[10]

Telimektar also appears as an entry in the Qenya Lexicon, an early representation of the Elvish language. The entry is titled Telimektar, Telimbektar and the Gnomish form is told to be Telumaithar. In the Valar name-list Telimektar is also called Taimondo or Taimordo, in Gnomish Daimord.[11]

The first element Teli- refers to the sky. Cf. telluma 'dome (of Varda)',[12]telimbo 'sky', from the root TELE- 'cover in',[13] see also: TEL-, TELU-.[14] The second element –'mektar' "probably derives from the root MAKA".[15][14] The end of the name is thus related to the name of another "lost vala", Makar 'warrior' and is also seen in the other name of the constellation Orion, Menelmacar.

The other name of Telimektar, Taimondo/Taimordo, is derived from the word taimë, taimië 'sky', but the end does not refer to warrior, being a loan from Gnomish word mord which means 'shepherd'. Thus the name of the constellation was also conceived as 'Shepherd of the Sky' (Taimavar in Qenya).[13]

For the sake of completeness note also the spelling Telumaith (see below), and Taimonto.[16]

In a comment to The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales,[17] Christopher Tolkien treats the origin of the name of Lúthien, which originally was the name given to the mariner Ælfwine of England by the elves. C. Tolkien refers to a note coeval to the sketches of the story of Eriol and Ælfwine. In that note "Lúthien or Lúsion was son of Telumaith (Telumektar)". Ælfwine got his name because he "loved the sign of Orion, and made the sign". The name Lúthien is here explained to mean 'wanderer'. This storyline is not further developed or even mentioned neither does this interpretation of the name Lúthien appear elsewhere.